DANGEROUS PROXIES
   Date :17-Jun-2021

TIME N TIDE_1  
 
A DIRTY plan is in play against India through proxy NGOs having links with Pakistan-based terror groups. The NGOs are mopping up huge funds being collected illegitimately in the name of helping India deal with the second wave of the coronavirus. The money is being routed to fund terror groups operating out of Pakistan to foment protests and attacks in India. The dangers have been exposed by Disinfo Lab which found out that some US-based Pakistan-linked NGOs are exploiting India’s goodwill among the international community by raising funds with no accountability. One such group, Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA), has direct links with radical Islamists. The NGO has no office, brand or representative in India which bring the entire fund-raising campaign under cloud. The situation warrants a thorough check on the activities of various organisations involved in aggressive fundraiser in the name of providing support to India. Terror groups are known for using charity organisations as their legal fronts to manage money-laundering. It is a challenge for the security and Intelligence agencies to find out the financial details of such groups.
 
IMPACT PLAYERS
 
FIRST look at the squads announced by India and New Zealand for the World Test Championship final starting Friday gives an impression that both teams match each other man to man. That cancels out the favourite tag to any of the two despite the added advantage to New Zealand for playing a Test series in England ahead of the final. However, going by the performance of the two teams in the last few months India enjoy a big edge of having a bunch of impact players. This will be the key difference between the two in the final. Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar, too, has marked the impact players to change the equation of the match in India’s favour. Gavaskar’s assessment is based on the mental strength the Indian players have shown in tense situations in the last two Test series. Players like Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant have tremendous potential to change the complexion of the game within a session. Same is the talent available in the bowling department spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin. These people have the ability to play out of their skins when confronted with a tricky situation. And then there is Virat Kohli to raise the tempo!